Planning Ahead

This is the first of series of Holiday Season Challenges when time is limited, commitments are high and food runs the risk of being out of control! So, I did what any good foodie/dieter would do and I made the most of my weekend and planned ahead.

My Thanksgiving outfit is cute and slim-fitting and will be paired with Spanx which completely eliminates the ability to stuff myself. Heck… it may even prevent me from eating altogether!

I ate just half of my meal at a restaurant Saturday which saves the rest for Monday (perfect, since I have to work until 9pm with only a brief dinner break). It’s penne pasta with 1/2 a sausage and a red sauce loaded with mushrooms. Served with salad and some sauteed veggies (broccoli, mushroom, onion) that I’ll make at home.

I also made a cuban style shredded beef, peppers and onions dish from the November or December issue of Real Simple magazine for Sunday’s dinner. I added extra veggies to health it up a bit and it will be served with a side salad, brown rice and roasted tomatoes and mushrooms on Tuesday for dinner.

Unfortunately, the one thing that’s missing is the gym. The orginal plan was to do morning workouts; however, I was on call Sunday and only got 4 hours of sleep due to an abnormal number of calls and situations I needed to manage. That knocked Monday and Tuesday morning workouts off the agenda in favor of much-needed sleep to reduce what was likely surging cortisol levels! I may squeak in a quick workout tonight. I’m definitely headed to WW tonight for my pre-Thanksgiving WI.

Despite the fact that the beginning of the week will likely be exhausting and crazy, I’m looking forward to wearing some of the new clothes I’ve bought, sending students home for a couple days, seeing family and finishing up my Christmas shopping.

Since Evan and I have to return to Jerz Thursday night in order to get him to work on time and avoid the Jersey mall traffic on Black Friday (I don’t want to be within 10 miles of the Palisades Mall!), I’m going to make the weekend productive AND restful. On the agenda:

Updating my resume. Finally. For the first time since I applied for the job I currently have. (No, students who read my blog. I’m not leaving you. I’m following my own advice to always have an updated resume so I’m not a complete hypocrite when you ask me for my advice.)

Yup… That’s Me

Post-Pregnancy Weight Loss

Books Read in 2011

Complete:
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
What to Expect When You're Expecting
How to Raise Your Second Child First
Room by Emma Donaghue
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
The Accidental Mother by Rowan Coleman
Barrel Fever by David Sedaris
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger
Well-Being by Tom Rath and Jim Harter

In Progress:
Beyond Discipline by Peter Lake
What to Expect The First Year by Heidi Murkoff
The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp

On the shelf:
Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly